Date:         Tue, 14 Nov 2000 22:21:35 -0500
Reply-To:     "David L. Ward" <dward@SASHELP.COM>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         "David L. Ward" <dward@SASHELP.COM>
Subject:      Re: http://www.sashelp.com/
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

In article <8usj41$ush$1@nnrp1.deja.com>,
  DonMayfield  wrote:
>  Does anyone know the owner of this web site? I can't get it to
> completely load.
>
> http://www.sashelp.com/
>
> --
> posted by Don Mayfield
> DonMayfield@excite.com
>
> Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
> Before you buy.

SASHelp.com is now running using SAS software, and is still in the process
of being re-developed.  A Perl program sends user requests on to a waiting
SAS session listening on a TCP/IP socket.  This session is called the
"dispatcher" (similar to SAS/Intrnet's) and is the master "brain" that
oversees user requests.  It is responsible for finding the next available
"drone", the terminology for the sessions that actually process the requests
(similar to SAS/Connect sessions).  There are a few kinks in the process
which are still currently being worked on.  These are due to BUGS in the SAS
System which have been openly discussed with SI technical support (then on
to developers).  It seems that no one else has pushed the socket access
method to its limits like we have in developing this product.

One of the problems with the socket access method causes SAS to delay in
responding when it has not had a request in a *long* time.  Not sure what
*long* means yet.  If no requests have come the first takes a while, then
possibly the second, but then the rest fly like the wind.  Neither I nor
tech support have any idea why the socket would behave this way.

Another outstanding other bug (not in SAS) is the fact that Netscape users
can not load the main page correctly.  The behavior you described happens to
me too if I use Netscape (which I do not normally).  This puzzles me because
a Perl program receives the results from the SAS session and issues a plain
'ol print STDOUT ; function to send the results back to the user.

Try http://www.sashelp.com/?discuss/viewmsg.scl.  This load for me in
Netscape but the home page does not.

Does any one have any ideas?

Thanks,
David Ward